FIRST CSIR DIAMOND JUBILEE AWARD
TO TATA MOTORS
THIRTEEN
TO GET S.S.BHATNAGAR PRIZES
MATCH
R&D PRIORITIES WITH NATIONAL GOALS - K.C.PANT
The first CSIR Diamond
Jubilee Technology Award has been bagged by TATA Motors. The highest
technology award of Rs 10 lakh has been won by the company for
successful development and commercialisation of indigenous technology,
producing Indica and Indigo cars.
The Shanti Swarup
Bhatnagar Prizes for 2003 have gone to 13 outstanding scientists.
The winners of the two lakh rupee award are - Dr. Satyajit Mayor,
National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore; Dr. Santanu
Bhattacharya, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; Dr. V. Chandrasekhar,
Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur; Dr. Kanchan Pande, Physical
Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad; Dr. G.V.R.Prasad, University of
Jammu; Dr. Atul Chokshi, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore;
Dr. Soumitro Banerjee, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur;
Dr. Vasudevan Srinivas, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research,
Mumbai; Dr. Manindra Agrawal, Indian Institute of Technology,
Kanpur; Dr. Chinmoy Sankar Dey, National Institute of Pharmaceutical
Education and Research, Mohali; Dr. Anil Kumar Mandal, L.V.Prasad
Eye Institute, Hyderabad; Dr. G. Ravindra Kumar, Tata Institute
of Fundamental Research, Mumbai and Dr. Biswarup Mukhopadhyaya,
Harishchandra Research Institute, Allahabad.
The CSIR Young Scientists
Award for 2003 went to Dr. Taruna Madan Gupta, Institute of Genomics
and Integrative Biology, Delhi; Dr. Chepuri Venkata Ramana, National
Chemical Laboratory, Pune; Dr. Virendra Mani Tiwari, National
Geophysical Research Institute, Hydrabad; Dr. John Porathur Loui,
Central Mining Research Institute, Dhanbad; Dr. Upendra Natarajan,
National Chemical Laboratory, Pune and Dr. Sushil Kumar, National
Physical Laboratory, New Delhi. These were announced here today
by the DG, CSIR, Dr. R.A.Mashelkar at the conclusion of the CSIR
diamond jubilee celebrations.
Addressing the function,
the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission, Shri K.C.Pant
underscored the need to match our research and development priorities
with national goals and technologies. However, basic research
must continue to get focussed attention as without it there cannot
be development of technologies. The domestic R&D, confined
mainly to government funded public institutions have rather done
well in strategic and non-competitive areas such as aerospace,
atomic energy and agriculture but its impact on the commercially-oriented
industry and services sector has been minimal. However, the shift
towards a networked knowledge economy has given rise to the necessity
of a collective effort by industry, R&D establishments, academia
and the government through formal and informal co-operation among
them, Shri Pant said.
Speaking about technology
domination by few advanced countries, the Deputy Chairman said
India must develop self-reliance in all technology fields in the
same way as it has done in nuclear and space sectors. In the era
of globalisation, the stakes are high and the CSIR has a key role
to play in securing the interests of India, Shri Pant added.
The Minister of State
for Science and Technology, Shri Bachi Singh Rawat said that CSIR
has mounted two path setting initiatives in its Diamond Jubilee
year i.e. the institution of the Diamond Jubilee Invention Awards
for school children and the Diamond Jubilee Technology Award for
innovation of national prestige. Through these initiatives, CSIR
is seeking to create a 'National Innovation Climate' that will
help secure the benefits of a knowledge society. Shri Rawat also
said that the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative
of CSIR which seeks to capture for the Indian industry a global
leadership position through public-private partnership, has already
started bearing fruits.
